OCTOBER!!!!!!!!!

October is a special month for me!  

• My anniversary is October 13th.  This year will be 3 years we have been together.  Still trying to get to Vegas to get married, but that's just a minor detail in a great relationship!
• This is my 12th month of being on WW, and even though I haven't done as well as I thought I might, I have been more successful in ways I didn't think possible!
• I have lost and kept off 20+ lbs this past year!
• I have become more active!
• I have started new activities, such as cross country skiing!
• AND, I have gained a new set of friends at my meeting that help me with their support!
• I accomplished my September goals so now I can move forward to another awesome month.  Really hoping the weather is great again so I can really take advantage of it.

I took my measurements this morning and did my weight.  I actually think the No-Scale Challenge at the beginning of the month wasn't the best choice, but thankfully when I knew my clothes were a little snug I decided to change that and hopped on the scale.  I didn't like what I saw, but it was the truth and so I knew what I needed to do.  I slowed my goals down to just daily ones and tried to accomplish these since thinking about the big picture was just too much for me at the time.  I was able to turn around my weight GAIN and actually ended up losing 4.2 lbs overall.  Mind you I had gained almost 5 lbs at one point this month, so in actuality I lost 9.2 lbs!  

I have lost inches and I can't wait for John to take a picture right now.  I will add it to this blog once I get it on the computer!  I know my body is toning.  I can feel the difference.  I can see the difference.  And, I can tell by how my walks/runs go.  

Yep, I said runs.   Since I have been walking so much lately I have actually felt the desire and the need to run!  This was such an awesome feeling because I really thought I was destined to just walk because I knew I could and could go farther easier doing that.  When I was running before I would get sore then just want to stop doing anything all together so I figured why keep hurting myself and start walking instead so I can keep going all the time.  It has been miraculous for my body and self esteem!  I have increased my walking speed and yet slow down when I need to.  It got me back in to running and I just sprinkle my walks with running right now.  Basically if my body wants to run, I run.  If I run, I usually start with a 5 min warm-up walk then run 1 min walk 1 min for 4 intervals then walk the rest of that mile. From then on I am to the top of the steeper of the hills and so I walk and run and I feel I want to.  Like yesterday in my third mile I just wanted to run.  So, I went at a rather slow pace, 4.8 mph (I am usually at 5.0+) and was able to go for 6.5 minutes without an issue.  I may have gone farther but I had to walk to cross over the cattle guard!  I probably didn't need to keep going though anyways because I could have hurt myself and that would have been a terrible thing to do right before starting my new month!  Anyways, most of my runs have been over 5.0 miles an hour and that makes me feel so good because I have always been right on 5.0 whenever I have run.  I feel that this has a direct correlation with all the walking I am doing!  

My goal of eating better and tracking daily is still a struggle.  I do try to make smarter choices though and when I do I am much more successful!

My October goals are not much different than September.  I have been hemming and hawing about this all week.  

• Walk/Run 52.4 miles for October.  (this is 2 marathons and to think about it that was is just such an awesome thought)
• Track at least 4 days a week including 1 weekend day.
• Blog as necessary.  (Sometimes I am just too busy or don't have much to say so I don't blog!)
• Run in my walks at least 2 times per week. (Like I said I run when my body wants to right now so I don't want too much of a strict goal for this and then I get discouraged or hurt and quit!)
• Continue to be as happy and upbeat as I can!

So there it is.  Finally a recording of what I want to do this month...Pretty much the same as last month :)  But that is OK!  At least I can say I did well and why ruin a good thing!  

Stats:

	Sep 1, 2011	Oct 1, 2011	Change
Right Calf	17.5	17.5	0
Left Calf	18.25	18.25	0
Right Thigh	28.75	28.25	-0.5
Left Thigh	29.75	29.25	-0.5
Hips	55.5	55	-0.5
Waist	46.5	45	-1.5
Under Boobs	44	43.5	-0.5
Boobs	46	45	-1
Left Arm	17	16.75	-0.25
Right Arm	17.25	17.25	0
Neck	14.25	14.25	0
Total Inches Lost This Month!			-4.75
Weight	260.6	256.4	-4.2

 

In both pictures September 1, 2011 is on the left and October 1, 2011 is on the right.
I was very pleased with my one month results and can't wait for the next month!!!!

~Chat Soon~

Almost to the end...sort of :)

It's been two weeks since I last updated and a lot has changed since then. 

I am not feeling so negative and I am exercising more.  Hmmm maybe I should have just been exercising all along and I would never have gotten so depressed!  Just a thought!

I have gone back over my previous blogs to see what has changed, what has been good, how I can improve and what still needs to change.

• Goal #1 Walk 50 miles in the month of September.
• I will have this achieved no problem. 
• I was slow to get started early in the month, but then I did the 5k I planned on doing and I just got better from there!  Now I can't seem to stop no matter what my mood is.
• I have also gotten faster overall too! 
• I started running a little with it, as my body wants to and I noticed I am running at a faster pace than before, however my legs really ache for the mile following the runs I did.  Usually if I keep walking I can walk away most of the pain though.  Still improving! 
• I really couldn't believe that I was actually running at a faster pace though...that was a big surprise for me.  I have always run at the same pace before but with all the walking I must be getting more conditioning! 
• Most days I try to get the full 3.4 miles in. 
• Depends on how I feel and how late it is though. 
• I have decided on the weekends I just have to get up and walk and then do whatever else I need to do.  This works best because then there is no excuse for why I am not getting in my exercise over the weekend!
• Goal #2 Measurements
• I will take these on either Friday or Saturday and see how I am coming.  But they will get done! 
• Goal #3 Photos
• I took a preliminary photo last night to compare and I was very pleased with my walking results!  Can't wait to take the next official photo either Friday or Saturday!
• Goal #4 Happiness (wasn't really stated but it's always the underlying goal I have)
• Well I have had my ups and downs this month, but I feel amazing right now.  I feel successful because I am working out regularly and my weigh ins have been in the right direction.
• Goal #5 Plan Meals
• Doing better!  Trying to plan a budget better so planning meals really helps.  It has also helped me to create more me time because I am not always having to prepare meals daily!
• Goal #6 Make time for ME
• I am doing much better with this!  I plan daily walks and have also started a hand written journal.  I also started a binder with recipes and articles that help me get better and more successful! 

I am still struggling with:

• Tracking
• Still don't like to
• Meal Planning
• Doing better, but still a struggle!  I know it takes time and I can do this!

I'm sure there are other struggles too, but these are the worst!  And even some of my successes above have struggles that go along with them.  However, I am moving forward!!!! 

Since my last blog I have really taken my advice and doing a lot more "CAN" rather than "can't"!  This makes me feel so good about my goal setting! 

I will work on my October goals over the next few days and share them with you.  Also expect to see my new measurements and photo comparison!

Once again if you have any suggestions to help me keep improving please share!  I value any and all ideas!

~Chat Soon~